Factors Associated with Outpatient Satisfaction in Provincial Tertiary Hospitals in Nanchang, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Xiaojun Zhou; Qiuwen He; Qi Li; Jie Kuang; Yalan Han; Jiayan Chen

doi:10.3390/ijerph19148226

Factors Associated with Outpatient Satisfaction in Provincial Tertiary Hospitals in Nanchang, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jul 6;19(14):8226. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19148226.

Authors

Xiaojun Zhou¹, Qiuwen He¹, Qi Li¹, Jie Kuang¹, Yalan Han², Jiayan Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.
² Library of Nanchang University, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, China.

Abstract

Outpatient satisfaction is important in evaluating the performance of tertiary public hospitals in China. However, only a few studies have examined the interaction between outpatient satisfaction and its related factors. This study aimed to explore the relationship between patient satisfaction and its related factors in provincial tertiary hospitals. Six hundred outpatients in three provincial tertiary hospitals in Nanchang, China, were randomly selected. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationship of the factors associated with outpatient satisfaction. The conceptual model fitted the data well (χ2/df = 4.367, CFI = 0.951, TLI = 0.937, SRMR = 0.055, RMSEA = 0.075), with all the path coefficients being statistically significant (p < 0.001). The environment and facilities showed the most significant influence on outpatient satisfaction (standardized total effect = 0.389), followed by the quality of diagnosis and treatment (standardized total effect = 0.235). The waiting time for medical services showed a partial mediation effect of 0.077 between the environment and facilities and outpatient satisfaction. The study indicates that targeted measures should be taken to improve the amenities of hospitals and shorten the waiting time for medical services, thus further improving outpatients’ medical experience.

Keywords: China; outpatient satisfaction; related factors; structural equation model; tertiary hospital.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

China
Humans
Latent Class Analysis
Outpatients*
Patient Satisfaction
Personal Satisfaction*
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tertiary Care Centers

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Project of Third-Party Evaluation of the Action Plan for Improving Medical Services Further (grant number JXSWSJKW0012), the Project of Construction, Review, and Evaluation of Jiangxi Provincial Catalog of Diagnostic Reagents and Low-Value Medical Consumables (grant number JXSYCFZX0029), and the Doctoral Research Start-up Fund of Nanchang University.